Automotive exhaust oxygen sensors have elements such as electrodes or heaters, which require electricity. FIG. 1 illustrates a prior oxygen sensor 10 in which electricity or power is provided to a sensing element or a heater 12 through permanent crimped contacts. The contacts have a terminal pad 14 permanently connected or soldered to the body of the sensor or to an associated terminal pad on the heater. The contact at the other end includes a crimped portion 16 which surrounds and contacts a wire 18 supplying electricity or power to the component. The wire then extends through the housing body 20 and is connected to an external power source. Assembling such a sensor requires the sensor body to be permanently attached to a link of cable with an interface connector. That assembly process is extremely difficult and undesirable. Many added steps and special tools are required to connect a sensor with an attached harness to a manifold boss. The attached harness assemblies can tangle and nest together making it difficult to pull out one sensor from a bulk load. Two hands are required to screw the sensor into the manifold to prevent the wires from tangling. A special tool designed to fit around the harness assembly and wires is required to tighten the sensor into the boss. Further, the wires must be secured to the engine prior to installation of the sensor into the vehicle so that damage to the wires and the vehicle interface connector is prevented.
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of these prior oxygen sensors.